Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Inspired by last week's post by Gene of Our Oakland, I decided to visit The Chapel of Memories for the first time. Not exactly difficult, since I live in the neighborhood. This facility is now owned by the Chapel of the Chimes which is a couple of blocks away. The columbarium appears to be from the same period and is of a similar style. This is the first urn you see when you enter these doors:

The various rooms have names like Prayer, Remembrance, Psalm, and Rest and are lined in glass fronted niches.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Gateway Market is located in the Golden Gate district on San Pablo Avenue near 59th Street. Their advertising mural is new and full of local references including the Oakland A's logo. I didn't find a signature but I'm sure it's hidden in the mural somewhere. Below is a close-up of the W to show you the detail and humor you can find in the mural.

Thank you, «Louis La Vache», for alerting me to this new addition to the mural scene.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you. Just follow the Linky steps below. You get to decide what constitutes a mural. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Can't wait to see the mural finds posted this week.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Driving down 7th Street in West Oakland I spied this amusing storefront. Apparenty Lady Cuckoo designs and makes clothing from recycled materials. You can find her stuff at local flea markets, in her Etsy shop, and in her collage factory. Didn't go in because of my impeccable timing, the shop was closed.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

BSK is situated in a heavily industrial section of West Oakland. It's housed in a triangular shaped clapboard building on a wedge of land on Mandela Parkway. Nothing special to look at. Then you enter.

Open for breakfast and lunch, it draws people from all over the city and even from that bigger city across the Bay. Think Southern heritage cooking meets a French trained chef and you have an idea of the quality of the fare. Since I was there for breakfast, I can definitely recommend the waffles. Check out their menu and try not to salivate while reading it. (The interior photo taken from the BSK website). And definitely visit ABC Wednesday for more takes on the letter "B".

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

One of the best things about having a CDP blog is that you learn more about your own town. Julie's new meme Taphophile Tragics prompted me to look for more Oakland cemeteries. Thus I found Home of Peace Cemetery in East Oakland on Fairfax Avenue off High Street. It is located in a residential neighborhood and is a dedicated Jewish cemetery. Although I worked in East Oakland for many years, I had never heard of it.

Unlike the much larger Mt. View Cemetery, the headstones here are of modest size, the landscaping is spare, and there are no grandiose tombs or family crypts. But it is an active cemetery with recent interments. Most of the headstones are in English, some are in Hebrew, and a few are in Russian.

The earliest grave marker I found was from 1905. This is the most humble grave marker I saw and thought it very touching. I somehow think this was according to Mr. Posner's wishes.

You can see there is still room for more burials. The steepness of the site gives the visitor a view of the Bay.

Thank you, Julie for nudging me to look harder in my own community. For more views and commentary on cemeteries from around the world, visit Taphophile Tragics.

Monday, January 23, 2012

This is a new mural on the back of a building that faces the Nimitz freeway near the 23rd Avenue on ramp. I noticed it only a few weeks ago and it took me a while to figure out how to access it. It's not that easy to do when you're driving 65 mph! It is painted by J. Medlin who says it was inspired by the East Oakland Boxing Association and Carrie's Touch which supports African-American women with breast cancer.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you. Just follow the Linky steps below. You get to decide what constitutes a mural. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.

Friday, January 20, 2012

The interior of this barbershop is far more interesting than the reflection. Wondering where you can get your flattop shaped? Or your suave razor cut freshened? This is the place. No frou frou salon here. Looks like a time warp, right? For more reflections, visit James' meme Weekend Reflections.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

After walking around the old docks near the Port, I found myself drawn to rust and decay. It helped that the afternoon was mild and the weather clear. Tonight or tomorrow rain is due. So far this has been one of the driest winters on record. Despite concerns, most of us have enjoyed (sometimes guiltily) the sunny skies.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Today starts a new round of ABC Wednesday. I thought I'd try and show coffee shops and restaurants around town during this round. Today we start with Actual Cafe on San Pablo Avenue and Alcatraz Avenue. Actual Cafe has been a positive force in this transitional neighborhood ever since it opened in 2009. It offers free wifi, places to park bicycles indoors, and frequent artist events; it serves as a magnet for those who live in the area. The cafe is also a voice for the parklet movement that's gaining hold in the Bay Area. All in all a comfortable place to visit and stay a while. For more takes on "A", please visit ABC Wednesday.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Today is the federal holiday honoring the life and works of Martin Luther King Jr. Many images of him can be found around Oakland. This one happens to be on a wall that faces the street named after him.

Several bloggers have been posting their own murals on Monday and linking back to each other. They have encouraged me to start a Linky where we can all gather to post our murals. You get to decide what constitutes a mural. Just follow the Linky directions below and post away. Be sure and visit fellow mural posters and please link back to this blog. Since this is my first attempt at a Linky, there may be glitches. I'll do what I can to "unglitch" them.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

A friend and I went to the Richard Misrach and John Muir exhibits at the Oakland Museum. Afterward, we had a quick nosh in the restaurant where I saw this reflection. Seemed perfect for the holiday season and for James' meme Weekend Reflections.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

I don't go to the zoo often, but when I do I get a kick out of the primates. The Oakland Zoo is known for providing naturalistic habitats for its animals. Visit ABC Wednesday for global takes on "Z". Join us next week when we start a new round.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Chapel of the Chimes is situated directly outside the gates of Mt. View Cemetery. It was designed by Julia Morgan who is most well-known as the architect of Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Later Aaron Green, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, made sympathetic additions to the Morgan building. This building is primarily a columbarium but also offers other modes of "end of life services." The building is kind of a warren filled with stairwells, interior gardens, fountains, and stained glass ceilings. Besides funeral services, monthly Jazz concerts and various literary events also occur here.

Did you know that in the funeral business the most expensive niches are those at eye level? And the least expensive are those near the floor and ceiling? Here's a tip I was given: Never buy the cremation urn before you buy the niche, otherwise it may not fit. Good to know. For more cemetery musings from around the world, visit Taphophile Tragics, a new meme from Sydney Eye.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

This tombstone was spotted at Evergreen Cemetery in East Oakland. While I was not able to find information about this family, the image on the gravestone is the iconic End of the Trail by James Fraser. Evergreen Cemetery is best known as the final resting place for many of the victims of the Jonestown tragedy. For more cemetery wanderings, visit Julie's new meme Taphophile Tragics.

Monday, January 2, 2012

This large mural celebrating the cultural diversity of Oakland is under the 980 freeway on San Pablo Avenue and 22nd St. It was done in 1982 which makes it one of the oldest Oakland murals I've encountered. Street Tattoo is the name given by the artists. It's beautifully executed but in terrible shape due to long exposure to water runoff. I've driven this street countless times and only today noticed it for the first time. How is that possible? For more murals, click here, here, and here. I think a mural meme is in the works. Would you participate?